Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1909-6-3, Page 7rete-- s,.,, :+'+++++ 4-$+++++++i ++++++, Scourge That Failed. it++ -+-1"++i ++++++++++++++ "What I says, Mr. Giles, is this vVhat'a it matter If they're Eue- ;Deb, or l reuoh, or German so long as I gots my wages regular every • eaterxtey, They saga to me, '1)o ;your work and don't ask any ques- tionea anti l does it. Now, if I'd seen 'em, makingguns or bombs ,and thrargs, I'd toll them up at the police -station pretty sharp, but all I've seed 'em doing is mucici•9g .bbleeds ' a aut wi' i ns sand satin' tatoi's. There ain't no 'arni in that, is there 'Pi Mr, Giles and four or five other a'egulars who were .sitting in the snug parlor of "The Artichoke" ap parently had no answer to give at the moment, •for silence, save Por -the occasional setting down of an -empty tankard, fell upon the little party. The trouble was that "Silly Sam," as he was . locally called, lending that nobody else in the .d:s- trict was over-anxious to have his :not highly valuable services, had taken up a job at Sansome's Farm: and Sansome's Farm, in spite of its English name, was tenanted by three foreign farmers, who were cordially disliked by the inhale, tants of the little Berkshire vil- lage of Chugleigh. Not that Chugleigh really had Anything against the foreigners Their only crime, apparently, was that they never came for an leanest glass to "The Artichoke, ' they never mixed with the other fa•r,ners of the disrtrict at the neighs ,ring market town, they once souacliy rated one of the laborers' wives for taking a short cut across their tneadows, and lastly, and worst crime of all, nobody knew anything about their business. They .never seemed to sell any farm produce, and it was stated that the farm land was goiug to rack and ruin. So it was that a Len Silly Sam took on the job of odd man there, he came in for the re- proaches of the entire village. However, Silly Sam now .laving explained the situation so lucidly, there was nothing more to be said, and conversation soon turned up- on the small local happenings which had found notice in thsir weekly country newspaper. These had no interest for awn, and, having spent his last coin, he lit a very black clay pipe and saun- tered out into the village street. And there this story might have ended but for the fact that the gos • sips at "The Artichoke" had not bad their conversation to there - selves. It was this seemingly insignificant fact that saved Greatt Britain from one of the most far-reaching and terrible disasters that it has ever been her fate to endure, A con- versation among yokels in a little country public -house which preven- ted the overthrow of the British Empire. • is * s Charlie Summers was a. second division clerk in the Board of Ag- riculture. Incessant work among statistics of Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease gets very mono- tonous, however enthusiastic a worker may be, and it was always with keen enjoyment that Summers got•out his bicycle on Saturday afternoons for a run into the coun• try, He had often been to Chugleigh before,. for it was one of the pen - Hest villages for many miles round London. Moreover, "The Arti- choke" was his favorite resting place. But on this occasion the dis- cussion about Sam's berth had in- Itere.sted him, and before leaving hashed asked nine •host a few quer- ,tions about the saran a farmers, and had inquired casually in what direction Sansome's Farm might leo. He decided that it might perhaps be worth his while to cycle dott•c there to have a look at the place. For Sam's remark about them "mucking about wi' insects" had startled Summers, and made bis: keenly alive to all sorts of possib:ll- tices in the situation. True, they night be butterfly col lectors, or even breeders of butter- flies, Again, they might be breeders of silkworms; but why take a big farm for the purpose, particularly as h; had found out that there were nt mulberry trees in the district. Plainly, it was a mystery, ami. Sunitners wanted to solve it. Ten minutes' ride brought bin' to the place, .a big, old-fashioned farmhouse, forming ane side of a square of bu.ildiegs. The other three sides were catnposed of bairn, stables, and cow -sheds, the four Odes inelosing a big yard, about which a few stray fowls were search ing for grains of corn that weren't there. Going up to the gate, Sumtnei s peered aver. He had decided that he was badly in need of a glass of milk should any questioner appear, but was at ounce obvious that neither cows iior horses formed part of the menage of Someone's Farm. Quietly, yet apparently cereal qt- ly, he opened the gate anti tudlvn,tir- ea to the hous.o• Nobody seemed to be about, so be walked over to the sta,bdea. Nota soul was to be seen, but in one corner of the stable was a huge pile of green stuff—po, tato haulm, eabbege leaves, and other leaves all mixed up together Could this be the insects' foori ? Then 3 t l t ey exceptionally tionall big Appetites, He passed on to the barns t1r big doors of which were open jus a few inches, and a wondrous sigh met his glee, The barn was full from end to eu with queer -looking cages nla<l mostly of thin wire gauze. Each gage was about twelve fee' long by seven or eight feet wide and the interiors wore one moven mass of life, Suddenly ho sv. knocked sprawling to the ground and a flood of German oaths were • hurled at .him. Quickly regaining his feet, he was about to deman an apology, when an aniinou growling from a, huge 'mastiff at his esseilant's side froze the words on his lips. At the same time the German's anger seemed to vanish, He was full of apologies. He begged a largo number of pardons for his stupidity in mistaking Summersfor a tramp, but really they were so pestered with these vagrants, who wandered all over the place, that he had meant to teach this one "a lesson. Could he do anything for his guest 1 A glass of milk? He was afraid that was the one thing he was unable to supply, but Back's Farm, half a mile down the land, usually had plenty. He trusted Summers was not hurt, and, with an elaborate bt.w, he wished Summers "Good -day." Summers smiled pleasantly as he passed through the farmyard, but his face took on a very different expression as soon as he regained the road. For the short glance he had had at the occupants of the barn had confirmed all his suspicions. Of one thing he was certain — a number of those huge cages con- tained literally masses of the dread- ed Colorado beetle. He had caught sight of their peculiar orange and black coloring, and had no doubb about it. Now the Colorado beetle is so terrible an enemy to growing crops, and multiplies with such exeraor- di.nary rapidity, that it is an of- fence punisheable by prison for anyone in this country to be in pos- session of a single live specimen in any form whatever, whether in the shape of egg, grub, or complete beetle. And here was a man breeding thousands and thousands of them. For what passible purpose could this be other than the devastating of the whole country with the scourge. But Summers had seen more than that. Other cages had contained thousands of locusts, and every- body knows how absolutely bare of every green thing a plague of lo- custs will leave a country. No need to speculate now for what purpose were the huge piles of green stuff he had seen in the stable. This was a terrible plot—possibly an official German plot—and the game would be to release these ter• rible scourges as soon as the wea- ther was sufficiently warm, and when the whole •country was at its wits' end with this appalling visi- tation, then would be Germany's moment to strike that blow for which the German people are work- ing and toiling and living. All these thoughts crowded through Summers' brain as he ped- alled back to town. Clearly something must be done at once. It'was now Saturday ev- ening ; it was not even safe to wait - till Monday morning, so Summers rode straight to the private house of his chief and asked to see him on important and urgent business. The chief, looking very surprised and a trifle annoyed at the intru- sion, came out to the library, but before be could open his mouth Charlie was pouring out his extra- ordinary story. ''You're sure of this, Summers?" he inquired at the conclusion of the story. - "Then we must act at once," he said. Very soon telephone messages were flying hither and thither, and Summers himself was sent with a private letter to a high official at Scotland Yard, No definite action could be taken that night, but at eight o'clock next morning a determined little band of picked Scotland Yard .men, each armed with a heavy Colt revolver, were tramping along the road be- tween Chugleigh and Sansome's Farm. Summers with them to act as guide. They soon reached the farm, which appeared to be as deserted 7)8 CVer. According to the arranged plans, four of the men walked straight• up to the barn -doors, and, making sure there was no one inside, closed the doors and stood on guard. Two of the party then approached the entrance to the farmhouse and tapped alt the door, Instantly it was opened, and two huge mastiffs flew straight at their throats, At the same time the three Ger- mins dashed out, ca•oh with a, re- volver in his hendh 13u1 new the remaining two Sant lnncl 1'n rd num rushed to the ros- atn 1't.;lr two comrades had t a 0 as d gone down before the onslaught of the doge es though they had heels felled by a pole oxo. Immediately the revolvers rang out, and beth the doge end one of the guard over the barn -doors cam, tin p 'Wielding to the noun d, gg All this time Sutntners had stood at the gate watehipg, but this feri- eus'fXght was too good to be missed. He threw himself into,the thick of it, and the guttural curses of the struggling Germans, the groans of the two men on the ground whom he dogs had mauled, and the growls and screams.' of the dying mastiffs made up a scene calculat- ed to remain in Summers' memory for many a long year. But, numbers, as usual 'had told. three ree Germans were no match for the six who had tackled them, and the fight, though a fierce one, wait •noon over Bound hand and foot, the farm - ere lay in their own yard, one of the men mounting guard over them, when, very much to. his astonish- ment, Silly Sam appeared from ap- parently nowhere, and ,stared open- mouthed at the Beene before him. He was immediately sent to get a doctor to attend to the injured men, while Summers and the other men made a tour of exploration dyer the farm. Inside the barn were initially millions of the beetles and the lo- custs, hot water pipes having been ;fixed up to keep the .place at a high temperature. Indoors, documents signed by high German officials left no doubt as to the realness of the plot. Tn a month from the releasing of these terrible scourges the first trans- port of German troops were to be landed on British shores. But now the bern was piled up inside with straw, and in a very few minutes was a mass of flame. A-eamparatively small coniiagra- tion perhaps, but one which saved Britain from. being humbled to the dust. No word of the story came out in the papers, but a few days later three heavily -manacled Germans entered a British penal colony, from which they are not likely to emerge in a hurry. As for Summers, a subsequent in- terview with his chief led to an un- expected advance in his .position, and one of his most treasured pos- sessions' is a solid gold cigarette - ease sent to him with a gracious little note from His Majesty, The case is adorned with the Royal arms and is simply inscribed : "For ser- vices rendered.''—Pearson's Week- ly. JAPAN AFTER BUSINESS. Building in Tokio Has 25,000 Sanm- plos of Goods. Japan is establishing commercial bureau, and museums throughout the far east. There are now about forty of these, including many in alien. One is located in Korea, another in Singapore, acrd a third at Bombay. Similar museums have been started in Hankow, Chung- king, Shasi and elsewhere in China, and one was recently opened in Bangkok. 0f the local institu- tions, the largest are in the big cities of Tokio and Osaka, writes a correspondent at Tokio. I visited the Tokio museum the other day. It takes up the better part of a large three-storey build- ing, and it has about 25,000 samples of foreign and native -made goods. It is something like the Commer- cial Museum in Philadelphia, save that it is larger and more like an exposition. It contains all kinds of foreign raw materials and manufac- tured products, shown side by side with those of Japan. There is Japanese lacquer made in Germany side by side with the beautiful na- tive product, which is worth its weight in gold and which no Euro- pean artist can copy. There are Japanese clocks and watches, and even Japanese pearls. The latter are magnificent, and they are home- made? 1• DISEASE-FREE MILK. Infant Lives Saved Wherever Pas- teurized Milk is Used. Wherever pasteurized milk has been used infant lives have boeu saved. In Germany this effective method of insuring disease-free milk is employed on a large scale. And Chicago compels pasteuriza- tion of all uncertified milk brought to the city. The federal health authorities have indorsed it, and great scientific bodies have given their approval, In New York it is not disputed that large quantities of contamin- ated milk are daily received. Sourcesof supply and points of dis- tribution are so numerous that any thing.like adequate inspection is im- practicable. The only safe -guard is to see that all the milk not actual- ly certified as clean and whole- some is freed from dangerous germs by the simple process of which has been found to yield such admirable results,' One private citizen of New York, Nathan Straus, bas demon- strated this is the most practical fashign by establishing and main- taining .depots aintaining_depots Inc distribittaon of pasteurized milk to no less than 29;000 children a day, among whom the death tads: is very such lower than in districts not reached by his beneficence. No matter how great t'lei fry :u+ - age of a Melts,. the bankgron-:,1 only a yard wide. 11i1RE ANp'1'$171177, Notes of Interest ficin the Pour Quartette of the Glebe. There are eo convents in Norway. France's total wealth X ax10,8Q ,- 000 000, `There •ere over 2,000 motor -Dabs ie. London. Seven thousand British slbjects are born at Ape every year. Three million needles is the daily consumption of the world. The !total area of the British Isles le 120,079 square miles, The music of "Home, Sweet Home" is probably Sicilian, Mr, Taft is :the twenty-sixth Iaro- itudent of the United ,States; It is estimated that the world G,s seventy-two million years old. A man hand is, on an average, 1 3-4 inches longer than that of a woman, Japanese dead .are buried in a squatting pasture, chin upon knees. The shortest will on record con- sisted of only three words --"All to wife." It is estimated that the area of. first -plass timber in. Mexicois twenty-five million acres.. Oil was used for burning in lamps as early as ,the spoch of Abraham, about 1921 B. 0. In London,. property to the value of 4;1,083,393,000 is insured against fixe. At the funeral of an unmarried woman in Brazil the mourning col- or is scarlet. One-seventh of the foreign com- merce of Great Britain passes through the Suez Canal, Three American Presidents have been assassinated—Lincoln, Gar- field and McKinley. Of the 305,488 persons married in England and Wales in 1850, 118,- 171 could not write. More than fifty million square miles of the world'•s surface is tak- en up by the Pacific Ocean. Blue, yellow, green and red are the colons of the new banknotes to be issued by the Bank of France. Of 1,000 parts of the moon, 576 are visible to us on the earth; 424 parts remain hidden to man's eyes. One estate belonging to the Ozer covers 100,000,000 acres, or about three times the area .7)f England. Special railway carriages for dogs fitted with hot-water pipes and mat- tresses, are to be provided in Prus- sia. 30,000 feet is the greatest depth of the Paoifie ; 27,366 feet of the At- lantic; Southern • Ocean, 25,200 feet; Indian Ocean, 18,582 feet; Arctic Ocean, 9,000 feet. Milk, taken in large quantities from a neighboring dairy, was used to extinguish a fire in Sh•apperton, Victoria, recently, the water sup- ply having given out. The Sahara is not such a. barren place after all. Some time ago there were 9,000,000 .sheep in the Augerian Sahara alone, 2,7)00,000 goats, and 260,000 camels. It is estimated that the oases of this des- ert contain 1,500,000 date -palms. BRETON PEASANT'S HOME. White Coif of Mistress, Burnished Brass, Beautify Poorest. The Breton peasant has some oharming qualities=courtesy, good humor, detachment from the pro- saic side of life—but the virtue of cleanliness is not for him. The cot- tages are frequently vexy dirty and the approach to them is sometimes over a pile of refuse. There is no- thing of luxury in a cottage inter- ior, but you may generally count on two things to beautify the poor- est. One is the white coif of its mistress (always spotless., however dirty any thing else may be)., and the other is the brass trimming of the armoire usually polished to a degree of brightness that is posi- tively dazzling. Same of these ar- moires are really beautiful, with elaborately carved panels, and in many cases are heirlooms that have been in the family for generations. When there are the beds—one of them, of which the mistress is very proud, will be modern, with coarse Nottingham lace curtains draped over it. You give it a few complimentary words rn order to satisfy its own- ers, but what you really want to see it the "lit-clos" in the far corner,' and if it is a "lit eros a deux eages" you are mare• than content. Some of these "lib otos" are things of great beauty, like the a-rmaires, and the carvings on the sliding panels are enough to make a col- lector green with envy. But imag- ine how :stuffy they must be to sleep in—and in winter the panels are shut. One day I was expressing my admiration of a certain "a- dios" when madame pulled the slid- ing panels apart and revealed the figure of her husband sleepily rub- bing his eyes and wanting to know what was the matter. KNEW THE ROPES. "What do yoti say to a young lady at a dance?" queried the youth who was about to attend his first ball. "Oh," replied the 'society man, "talk to her about her beauty." "But siuppose she hasn't tiny 1" said the youth. "in that case." ,rejoined the aueietymin, "tells to her about the ttg,inciis of the other girls present." et Hate a pretty sharp remark 1, err n slow man to the quick. PERSONAL 1!'ARAQIIA.f.#Jif,$. • Interesting Notes About Sense of the Wor'ld's Great People. Count Tolstoy, the great disciple ot rt n 3'e' e rr alsian hes as unique , a i.. e e, q m rhod of training his children. Two of his sons once showed thole' die- epprovel of a lady who was aiming at their father''e house by going into Another room and imitating her not very beautiful voice, The Count followed them and asked if they were mocking his guest. "Yes,,, was the reply, "but why does she howl 'so?" "Well," said Tolstoy, "if you wish to protest against leer singing, either go outside for the purpose, or else come into the room where siie is singing and toll every- one you don't like it. That would be rude; but, at least, it would be upright and honest." Lord Cromer, "the man of the five hand and the velvet glove," is a great etudent of ancient lore. He reads Cicero in the original, knows all that Herodotus;hall to say about Egypt,, and is intimate with the in- trioaeies of the Book of Job.. He is, of course, an Egyptologist, Otto his •collection of Egyptian and Sou. (Lanese arms, amulets, ornaments, head-dresses, and eurioe of a., kinds tvauld make a profeseor dance with envy, His knowledge of the English poets is remarkable; but, while he is by no means a denouncer of the theatre, he has a strong ob ]action to the "problem play," and has been known to oram a "woman novel" into the fire to get it out of the way. He is a man of many clubs, and is ono of the most cul- tured and respected gentleman in England to -day. These are few more demonoratio monarchs alive today than King Victor of Italy. He. is very fond of going out chamois -hunting, quite unattended, and one day he met with an amusing experience. He had shot a chamois, and .a peasant boy, who had neon the animal fall, offered to go and fetch it. The King thanked him, but the lad in. spired what was to be his reward. "Well,. what do you want?" asked King Victor. "A franc and half your luncheon," was the reply. The bargain was struck, and the pea - sent went off and fetched the dead chamois. The King .handed him a frame and proceeded to divide his lunch into two equal portions. But the peasant turned away in con- tempt, for the royal lunch consisted only of black bread and a large raw onion. "Rah!" exclaimed the boy disdainfully. "I thought you were a real gentleman, signor, but I see you are only .a poor beggar like myself after all!" Like so many of his .subjects, King Edward is a great lover of coffee, and prefers it made altar the Tur- kish fashion. He is, in fact, quite a coffee connoisseur, and it was the excellence of the brand supplied at Ritter's Park Hotel, Homburg, which made his Majesty so frequent a guest there in former days. Now, however, there is no need for him to go to Hamburg far the flavor he fancies; for some time ago Ritter's coffee -maker Ervin Abraham—was taken into the King's own Royal service, and the merry Turk now Ails the profitable past of coffee - chef to King Edward. Apart from his skill over the ooffee-pot, 1tnin A braham is quite a droll, his quaint idioms and keen wit frequently amusing not only the King's en- tourage, but even his Majesty him- self. It is not generally known that the Khedive of Egypt is a poet of no mean order—in Arabic, of course. Those who have read his verses speak of them with enthusi- asm. Abbas Hilmi's poetry is me- lodious, lofty in theme, and full of allegory, as are most Arabian poems. In the course of a former visit to England the Khedive sent the late Queen Victoria a magni- ficent bouquet with one of his poems. Here is a rough paraphrase o£ one of the verses: "I send you this bouquet as a testimony of the love of the Egyptian people. Each rose, each lily, each jasmine repre- sents the heart of an Egyptian, and its perfume is the incense of a prayer which mounts to Heaven for thee, 0 powerful Queen, 0 flow- er of Queens." The Queen had the poem framed and hung in her bou- doir. READY FOR ANYTHING. A hawker one day entered it busi- ness man's office and coughed slight- ly to attract attention, The mer- chant turned abruptly to the man. "Well," he asked, "what can I do for you?" "I are travelling," the pedlar began, "with a patent electric hair -brush---" "What do I want with a hair- brush?" growled the beeines man, "Can't ou see I'm bald?" "Your wife, perhaps—" "Bald, too, except when she's dressed up." "Yes, sir. But you may have at home a little child= "We have, It's one week old, and suite bald." "Of emirs°, nt that age," said. the necner. 'Bub," he persisted, perhaps you keen a dog? "We do," emir the business man, ha.irlese Chinese dog." The pedlar dived into nnother packet. "In that mase, allow ine," he sail. "to show you the latest thing in hair -restorers," THE KAISER IN CONTRAST A. )IJ:7W STUDIES TAXING JUi ALL 1ROUNl). Only One Instance of lily Cleve: uess, Oat 'rheic is Another Side to the Picture, A man's character. Dan usually be summed up i33 the phrase, "Take hint all round," be is tine, or that, or the other; but, if there is one man in Europe ' to whom you cannot fit a character in this way, he is the German ''Emperor, elle Kaiser is °never, one 'man says, and it is quite` true, as this storyo shows. When the ballet tJoppelia was in rehearsal at the Opera ,louse, in Berlin, His Ma- jesty came to see how it was going on. Things were all at sixes and sevens and, after he had watched the meddle for some time, he mounted the stage and began to poach the ballet girls in person, showing a perfect knowledge of theatrical routine. He then in- structed the orchestra how the mean was to be played, taking the baton out of the conductor's hand and conducting them himself, Stage manager, conductor, musi- cians, actors, actresses, and ballet girls gazed in astonishment at His Majesty, whereupon he turned to them and remar'keu, "Yes, yes, you may stare at me, but you know that my interpretation is correct." And, as a matter of fact, it was, and the ballet went splendidly. This is only one instance of the Kaiser's cleverness in unexpected places, but; there is another side to the picture. GERMAN MONEY FORM. One of his first aets as sovereign was to show his illinisters how the Imperial Arms should be printed, but after it had been in use for some time an antiquary of great learning proved that the new design was not only wrong, but even hum- iliating to the Kaiser. At the same time, His Majesty "sub -edited" the German money order form in such a way that the public could make neither head nor tail of it, and thousands of pounds' worth of un- issued forms had to be destroyed. Then he is kind-hearted, and in proof of that take the occasion of his visit to Honef. The pupils of the college at Honef thought the visit would be an admirable chance for a holiday, but the college au- thorities thought otherwise. So, on behalf of his class, one of the pupils went to a public telephone, and rang up the Schloss Schaumburg, in Bonn, where the Kaiser was staying. He wanted, he said, to speak to His Majesty on a matter of the greatest urgency, and he was so mysterious about it that the Kaiser actually came to the other end of the line. The boy poured his peti- tion into his astonished ears, and, LAUGHING HEARTILY, the Kaiser promised that the holi- day would be granted. Next day one of the Court Chamberlains went to the headmaster and an- nounced the Imperial will that the college should be closed when His Majesty visited Honef. So much for his kindness of heart, but his treatment of some of his elderly generals is, to say the least, inconsiderate. At manoeuvres, when he is sur- rounded by a large staff of officers, some of the older ones not so easy in the saddle as they once were, be will suddenly gallop off across the country, choosing the most difficult route, over hedges and ditches. His staff go streaming after him, and those who are not "in at the finish" are carefully noted as being unfit for further sei'rice, and are dismissed at the first opportunity. Who can be more generous than William II. ? Nobory, surely, as the following anecodote would serve to show : The fernier who owned the little farmstead in the village of Rezonville, in which the Kaiser's grandfather passed the night on the eve of the Battle of St. Privet, was in distressed circumstances. When His Majesty heard this, he pur- chased the house for a thousand pounds, about three times its value, and told the old man he could stay there as long as he lived. But the Kaiser can also take ad- vantage of his authority to be very mean. HIS VULGAR. SIDE. A. wealthy native of Bremen pre- sented his town with a beautiful statue, and there was some sugges- tion that the Kaiser might present another statue. The Kaiser promptly sent for the merchant, and told hint that he ought to erect a second statue as n "pendant" to the first. Au Imperial wish is a command, and the merchant felt himself compelled to erect 'another statue •equally costly. It is not necessary to give in- stances of the Kaiser on his dignity ; some people may think it iimpossible lie could be anything other than kingly. His Majesty, however, can be vulgar wit•lout being even funny. One day at manoeuvres he went to the mese-room and yelled out: "Come along with those sausages :" After a bears,, ureal, during which several highly -spiced sausages quickly disappoat'cd, washed down by many mugs of hoer, he heaved a great sigh of satisfaction, and pat- ted his stomach approvingly, rovingly, - "Pm much more comfortable in- side now," he snide--T'earson's Weekly. I TOO YOUNG AT FORTY IS TIIE YOUNG- 1)1AN NOW A. DAM NUMB, 1 71e Iles no Idea the Value of 7'aet 1)iplonlaey., end Caution in + Bits, ie:e a For the last dozen years' (here has been a boom in youth. There aro signs that that boom is coming to an end, The boom arose out of an al- most sudden recognition of the in- calculable value of energy, Old- fashioned firms, with slow -going methods, found that 'business was falling ail g off, and decided to introduce new blood into their establishments, says London on Answers, So men of forty were 'sacked by the scorn to make way for perky youths of twenty with quick, alert ways, keen, self-assured eyes, and bare, aggressive chins. The -twenty- year -old seemed to possess more steam than the forty -year-old, and steam was considered to be the thing. WHAT THE "TRADE" THINKS. Now business men are coming back to the old idea—that steam; otherwise energy, albeit a very ex- cellent thing in business, is not the only thing—is not, indeed, even the most valuable thing. "A smart young man," exclaimed a veritable prince of the furniture trade to the writer a few days ago, "I wouldn't have such a thing in my place again, though I've had plenty in my time. I employ over a hundred and fifty salesmen, and I don't think there's one ander thirty-five years of age. Your smart young fallow, with tTie' jaunty strut and cocksure manner,. is a thing of the pant, as far as my business is conecrned. Your young man of two and three and twenty may be good, sterling stuff all through; but, like whisky, or wine, or a good Stilton cheese, be wants time to mature. As a salesman, he's of no account. He can't sell. He thinks he knows what people want better than they know them- selves. He scares them away. "That's what energy does in its pure, unadulterated form. To be really effective, it wants keeping, and blending with other things, which only experience can give. WHAT -THEY -WANT QUESTION. There are signs everywhere that this opinion is growing. There was a time when cheek was really a formidable weapon, but people now are not so easily bluffed as they used to be, nor are they so credul- ous. They don't believe everything the smart salesman tells them; they judge for themselves, and if what the smart salesman tells them differs from their own judgment, they feel insulted, get angry, and don't buy. A portly, comfortable -looking man, with a nice round face, hair a bit thin on top, and a quiet, respectful manner, can do more business in five minutes than all your "swaddling clothes" men can do in five hours. He gives people what they want. The fact of it is, your very youth- ful business man has not the dim- mest notion of the tremendous value of tact, diplomacy, and cau- tion. He cannot read character, cannot weigh consequences, cannot foresee possible d•evclopments. Seeing the chance of making im- mediate profit, he rises like a way- ward, indiscreet chub at a fly, forgetful of the hook that may pos- sibly hoist him out of his comfort- able surroundings. Either as a shnpmn, clerk, or artisan, he is not half the real value of a man of forty. In big business establish- ments you find very young man, working not so much for the good of their firms as FOR THEIR OWN HAND. They plot, they intrigue, they do all they can—figuratively speaking —to cut one another's throats. Their one aim is to feather their own nest quickly, and, in their im- patience, they grow discontented and disloyal. With a man of forty it indifferent. Experience has taught him that the batter his firm does the better he will do. The responsibility of a wife and family makes it necessary that he should keep it. So he works honestly and zealous- ly for the good of his firm, doing all he can to keep his pol;ition, and always striving to better it in his own quiet and unassuming way. He doesn't try to clutch the 100015 in one jump. Your younger man is different\, He. has got the false notion that ho lr is the smart man, and that all others are foals. He gives him self airs, Ile is ludicrously inde- pe.nclent---as if anybody in this world can be independent of other people ; He is lofty and conto n- ptuons in his bearing, insulting in hit off -hand manner, and irritn•t;ing nin his vulgar. ill-bred ageoessive- ess, lie has been takers once ter - ha], is in his life aI, leis own valua- tient, and be thinks that is always g Ding to be the case. The sooner ltn finds out his mistake the. bolter, Asir the sooner bit gee; rid of his ovcr.woettinp cnneetl, awl learns t.lint a bounder's nrmUur,nt is not half as effeetivr as it WAS Once thought. to be, the raiser be ia likely to make a gone] positiou fen himself,